Saturday, November 8, 2025

Local Businesses Joins Wildfire Recovery Grant Recipients

Ten small businesses across Southern California—including one in Pasadena and three previously in Altadena—have received a second round of wildfire recovery grants totaling $400,000, according to a press release issued Thursday by Steadfast LA and Banc of California.

The funding is part of Steadfast LA’s Small Business Initiative, launched in August to support businesses impacted by the January wildfires in Altadena, Pasadena, Malibu and Pacific Palisades. Banc of California seeded the program with a $1 million contribution through its Wildfire Relief & Recovery Fund. Steadfast LA provided additional financial and operational support.

Altadena Beverage and Market, located in Pasadena despite its name, was among the ten recipients selected for this round. The grants—up to $50,000 each—are intended to help businesses reopen, restore jobs and stabilize operations following the wildfires, which caused widespread damage and economic disruption, including steep declines in customer traffic due to resident displacement.

“This initiative is about standing shoulder to shoulder with small business owners who define the character and strength of our neighborhoods,” said Rick Caruso,

Saturday, November 8, 2025

Eaton Fire Survivors Report Toxins Persist After Cleanups

Eaton Fire survivors Friday urged Gov. Gavin Newsom and elected officials representing Altadena to ensure properties undergo robust remediation to address contaminants after a recent report found that many homes continued to test positive for asbestos and lead following initial clean up. 

On Friday, members of the Eaton Fire Survivors United, a group of Altadena residents affected by January’s blaze, conducted a news conference to discuss the results of their report. A survey of about 50 homes found that 50% of them received access to asbestos testing and 90% of homes had lead testing.

Of those 50 homes, 25 of them tested positive for asbestos, or about 36%, post-remediation. Meanwhile, 45 out of 50 homes, about 96%, tested for lead post-remediation. 

The organization states that the laboratory findings indicate that thousands of homes in the Altadena area are unsafe for families and individuals to return to. 

“We’re here today, 10 months to the day since the Eaton Fire, on behalf of thousands of residents whose homes are still standing,”

Saturday, November 8, 2025

Pasadena Congresswoman Calls for Urgent Action After Toxic Contamination Found in Eaton Fire-Affected Homes

U.S. Rep. Judy Chu on Thursday called for sweeping state and county-level interventions after new findings revealed widespread lead and asbestos contamination in homes affected by the Eaton Fire, despite prior remediation efforts.

The report, released Nov. 6, 2025, by Eaton Fire Residents United (EFRU), a local, grassroots group advocating for survivors of the Eaton Fire, found that more than half of standing homes within the region where ash settled following the fire still contain hazardous levels of lead. One-third of those homes also showed significant asbestos contamination, raising concerns about long-term health risks including cancer and brain damage.

Chu said the findings were “deeply alarming,” noting that many homes tested have contamination levels high enough for the Environmental Protection Agency to require further remediation efforts. “It is unacceptable that, as many survivors of the Eaton Fire see their compensation for temporary housing deplete, many of our neighbors are being forced to decide between a roof over their heads or risking exposure to deadly toxins,” she said.

Saturday, November 8, 2025

Eaton Fire Health Risks Cross City Lines

Contamination concerns from Altadena blaze reach Pasadena as residents fear environmental hazards ignore borders

Environmental hazards identified after the Eaton Fire don’t stop at Altadena’s borders. Some Pasadena residents are growing increasingly concerned.

The fire sparked in January. Now, months later, its health impacts continue to emerge.

Eaton Fire Residents United (EFRU) held a press conference Friday to reveal their research into ongoing contamination in affected homes.

Lead, asbestos and heavy metals were found throughout the disaster zone, the group said. The contamination persists nearly 10 months after the blaze.

EFRU is demanding new standards. The group wants “clearance before occupancy” protocols implemented.

“Join us in calling on elected officials to enforce a simple standard: clearance before occupancy,” the EFRU said in their statement. “Each home that survived the Eaton Fire should be required to achieve comprehensive clearance status before residents … move back in.”

While the organization is based in Altadena,

Friday, November 7, 2025

LA Fire Survivors Urge for the Resignation of State Insurance Commissioner

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Survivors of the Eaton and Palisades fires Thursday urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to call for the resignation of California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara — a request that comes on the heels of a new report that found a 2023 plan struck between the commissioner and insurers resulted in more policyholders being dropped ahead of January’s emergency.

On Thursday morning, a group of fire survivors led by the Eaton Fire Survivors Network gathered outside Good Neighbor Bar in Altadena to discuss the report. Fire survivors requested immediate aid from Newsom as they navigate recovery and face barriers from insurers.

The network consists of more than 8,500 people who were impacted by January’s wildfires — mainly from Altadena, but the organization has gained some members from Pacific Palisades as well.

“Families can no longer buy or renew coverage, and those who still have it can’t access the benefits they’ve already paid for,” Joy Chen, executive director of the network,

Friday, November 7, 2025

Flight Cuts at LAX, Ontario, San Diego May Ripple to Pasadena-Linked Hollywood Burbank Airport

City News Service Contributed to this Story

A federal mandate to reduce flight capacity by 10% at 40 major airports nationwide beginning Friday, Nov. 7, is expected to disrupt travel at Los Angeles International (LAX), Ontario International (ONT), and San Diego International (SAN) airports — with potential secondary impacts on Hollywood Burbank Airport, which is jointly operated by Pasadena through the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.

The reductions, announced Wednesday by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, are a response to staffing shortages among air traffic controllers caused by the ongoing federal government shutdown, now in its 38th day. Controllers are classified as essential personnel and have continued working without pay since the shutdown began Oct. 1.

“This is data-based,” Duffy said during a Washington, D.C., press conference. “This is about where’s the pressure and how do we alleviate the pressure.” He added that disruptions are likely to increase and that the department is coordinating with airlines to minimize passenger impact.

FlightAware,

Friday, November 7, 2025

Altadena Residents to Reveal Post-Fire Contamination Findings at Friday Press Conference

A coalition of Altadena residents will hold a press conference later today to announce new findings showing widespread contamination in homes left standing after the Eaton Fire, despite prior remediation efforts.

Eaton Fire Residents United (EFRU), a grassroots group formed in the wake of the January 2025 wildfire, says testing of 50 homes—conducted after remediation—revealed persistent toxins including lead, asbestos, and heavy metals. The group is calling on elected officials — including Gov. Gavin Newsom, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, and Los Angeles County Supervisors — to enforce a “clearance before occupancy” standard and to compel insurance companies to extend Additional Living Expense (ALE) coverage until homes are proven safe.

The press conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 7, at a fire-affected Altadena property featuring a standing home, a burned lot, and an adjacent RV. According to a statement from EFRU, 50 to 100 residents are expected to attend, holding posters and joining speakers that include a 12-year-old girl with severe asthma caused by the fire,

Friday, November 7, 2025

More Los Angeles County Residents Able to Buy Homes in July-September

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Sixteen percent of Los Angeles metro area households could afford to purchase the $837,060 median-priced home in the third quarter of 2025, up from 14% in the second quarter and up from 15% from the third quarter last year, the California Association of Realtors announced Thursday.

The statewide median price of existing single-family homes in California fell 2.0% in the third quarter of 2025 compared to the previous quarter, reflecting a cooling in market competition, CAR determined.

However, on a year-over-year basis, home prices rebounded — rising 0.8% after posting the first decline in eight quarters earlier this year — as easing mortgage rates encouraged more buyers to return to the market. With the market transitioning into the off-season, home prices are expected to moderate further as seasonal factors kick in, CAR reported.

If lower mortgage rates materialize in the months ahead and economic uncertainties subside, housing affordability could see some slight improvement in the next couple of quarters.

Friday, November 7, 2025

Rebuilding Hope in Altadena: After the Fire, a Family Nears Home Again

Hundreds of volunteers and local groups rally to help the Wood family restore their lives and their house after losing everything in the Eaton fire—just in time for the holidays.

After three households in the Wood family lost everything to the Eaton fire, a corner lot in Altadena has become a heartbeat of hope—and, as the holidays approach, the promise of home has never felt closer. Since mid-October, hammers have echoed and sawdust has settled as over 460 San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity volunteers, donors, and community partners have poured into the neighborhood with one goal: bringing the Wood family—and Altadena—back from the ashes.?

“It’s powerful to see so many people come out to help rebuild what was lost,” said a member of the Wood family, reflecting on the outpouring of support that has galvanized their tight-knit community.

For more than 40 years, their roots ran deep in Altadena—until the fire changed everything in an instant. But now, each wood frame raised and every nail hammered carries with it a surge of optimism not just for the Woods,

Thursday, November 6, 2025

Virtual Town Hall Lays Out PUSD’s Money Problem — But Not The Pain

By EDDIE RIVERA

District leaders tell families: $30–$35 million in cuts are coming; details will wait for board votes in November

Pasadena Unified School District officials used Wednesday morning’s virtual town hall to level with families: the district must find $30 million to $35 million in savings or new revenue in the next budget cycle, and the Los Angeles County Office of Education is watching.

But for all the charts, explanations and reassurances, what the meeting did not provide was the thing many parents were waiting to hear — which schools, which programs, and which positions are most likely to face the cuts.

The session, hosted from PUSD headquarters by Collaborate PASadena Executive Director G. Albert, was billed as a transparency exercise, a chance to walk the community through the financial bind created by declining enrollment, the end of one-time COVID money, a drop in unduplicated pupil percentage, and rising costs the state doesn’t fully pay for.